"I consider myself a great story digger online and in person. I always find myself eavesdropping on conversations in public and asking people many questions in town, which helps people trust me, and also helps me find out what the locals are most interested in. While other news stations may only follow the stories and events that are widely advertised, I dive deeper and find the lesser known ones."

The candidate should describe his or her experience investigating stories and the types of ways they work to find out information. The candidate may talk about how they find out information about locals, various contacts they use, and trust they have built up in the community to help them uncover more that people not from the area would not have known. The candidate should show that they are good investigators.

"I find that I do some of my best work in stressful situations because I focus on just one thing and do not let other things distract me. This way, I am able to concentrate and produce the best work possible as quickly as I can."

The candidate should discuss their experience working under time constraints, under pressure, and in a fast paced environment. They may discuss their ability to work through stressful situations and persevere, even though during the event it may take its toll.

"I am confident that I am a good decision maker when it comes to prioritizing stories, because I have had much success in the past. I believe that breaking news should take priority over everything else, but national politics also draw the interest of the local news in this area. However, whatever your station believes is top priority I will adjust to."

The candidate should discuss various types of stories in a newsroom and which ones they put more effort into to cover. For instance, they may discuss how breaking news takes priority over any other story of the day, and how stories that do not have a specific time importance may be put off for future days if there is more important news to mention. The candidate should ultimately prove that they understand what news to put more of a focus on, and the interviewer will decide how those decisions fit into their company.

About Assignment Desk Editor

August 17th, 2017

An Assignment Desk Editor is responsible for collecting story ideas for the news station or written publication to cover. Assignment Desk Editors find stories for the day and for future planning purposes. They are responsible for answering the news tip phone line and fielding breaking news, making calls to police and fire departments, and alerting the newsroom with the most up to date breaking news coming in. They are responsible for managing the newsroom calendar with story ideas and plans.

The Assignment Desk Editor also acts as a mediator between the producers and the reporters in the field. They alert the reporters of any breaking updates or big stories they need to go to. They are responsible for keeping up to date with all of the latest stories of the day via social media and making phone calls to top local offices, officials, and courthouses.